In Togo last year, the death of its longtime ruler, Gnassingbe Eyadema, threw wide open a window long sealed shut.

Kim Il Sung, who died in 1994, was North Korea's longtime ruler.

Last week a court awarded $1.6 million in damages to Lee Kuan Yew, the founder of modern Singapore and its longtime autocratic ruler.

Zaire, the third largest country in Africa, came ever closer to toppling its longtime ruler last week.

The Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, the son of the country's longtime absolute ruler, shows little inclination to change.

Tensions rise in Europe when Germany's longtime ruler dies.

He entered the Police Academy in the early 1970's, a period when Suharto, the longtime authoritarian ruler of Indonesia, was consolidating his power.

Nigeria, like another newly democratic giant, Indonesia, has seen a surge in ethnic, religious and social violence since its longtime military rulers gave up power last year.

As longtime rulers were being toppled in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, Morocco had its own pro-reform protest movement earlier this year.

Indonesia's capital was in the midst of two days of rage because of the country's deepening economic crisis and dissatisfaction with its longtime ruler, President Suharto.